Are you part of the Middle Class Poor? We are. How did it happen? What are we doing about it? These are the two questions I will answer in this blog post.
I’d like to make a few points about being Middle Class Poor. We are not alone. The problem is increasing. The government plans to have less involvement in helping to solve this problem. For example, as illustrated in her article, Hunger is all around us, yet it doesn’t have to be, Randi Shubin Dresner, President and CEO of Island Harvest explains what is going on. Her post starts with the following statement, “The recent vote by Congress to cut $40 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — the food stamp program known as SNAP — over the next 10 years is alarming. If these cuts become law, those who are already struggling to afford food will be thrust into further hardship, increasing hunger across America and right here on Long Island.”
Because the problem is increasing and the government will have less to do with solving it, we will have to find alternative resources to solve it ourselves. That is a big part of the reason for the title of this post and the creation of a Facebook group, Resources for the Middle Class Poor. There are many private donors and nonprofit resources, like the Island Harvest Food Bank that are currently helping people.
Right now, I would like to go back to the question, how did it happen? For us, the answer is simple, ‘2008’. In the same week, my husband was laid off from his job and the stock market crashed. The fallout from that led to my own crash, physically and emotionally. I was hospitalized and became unable to work. Our lives have changed dramatically in the last five years. We had savings, we had security and we thought we had stability. The rug was completely pulled out from under us. We went from being middle class to being middle class poor.
The upside of having our lives turned upside down is that our new lives have brought us extraordinary challenges and opportunities that we never imagined experiencing. Sometimes it has been terrifying. But the more we go through, the more miracles we have received and the stronger we become. Our fear has been replaced with faith. We are inspired to pass on to others what we are learning as we help ourselves navigate our new path as part of the Middle Class Poor.
For more resource information, refer to my facebook page and group shown below.
My husband volunteers working with others and is actually studying to become credentialed in a helping field. I have gone completely wild applying my years of social media marketing studies to using social media as a communication tool for this serious, real life issue. I have created numerous facebook pages including, The Middle Class Poor and the companion group, Resources for the Middle Class Poor. As we help ourselves to grow into our new state of existence, we are working to help others who are in situations similar to ours. Together we will change the world. It may only be our world. But as Ghandi is credited with saying, ‘Be the change in the world you want to see’.
2 Comments
SNAP doesn’t help the middle class. You have to be extremely poor to qualify for it and those of us who are middle class but struggling still cannot receive any government help! I do not wish to take from food banks as I know there are people who need it more than I do. So where does that leave me?
So my idea for a resource for the middle class poor such as myself? Think of alternative ways of getting what you need! I spend $40 max a week on food for 2 people. I ask the local gas stations, my friends, family, the local recycling center, etc for coupons and I save money on my own. When I get extra coupons I buy extra and donate it to friends and food banks. I sew and fix my own clothes, make gifts for others using my crafty skills, take advantage of animal clinics so my pets stay healthy without costing a fortune, etc. I have never relied on the government for any assistance. I have accepted my own choices in life which have brought me where I am today. Maybe if others did the same and stopped blaming the government for not helping, we’d all be better off. I know there are many people who have fell on hard times completely independent of their own life choices and I believe those are the ones who deserve assistance. But when you start listening to people’s individual stories, it’s hard not to notice that the majority of them have done very little to better their own lives.
So, I enjoyed your article and what you’re doing!!!!! I think it’s a wonderful idea to start a Facebook group where others can find help and support. I just don’t think we should be blaming the government and their SNAP cuts for the hunger problems.
Stephanie,
Thank you so much for your comment. I agree that blame does not solve anything. But as Henry Giroux said on Bill Moyers show recently, a country that would cut $40 billion dollars from food stamps (when half the people getting them are children) is not a democracy. Blame is one thing that solves nothing. But accountability for those and to those who really need help is quite a different story. There will always be people who really need help and others that give assistance a bad name. I rather take positive, supportive action than spend any time focusing on anything less than that. I also have a new facebook page for an idea I want to be a catalyst for. It is called ‘Donate It Local’. Please let me know what you think of it and any other ideas you have. http://www.facebook.com/DonateItLocal/